Get to know Kelly

In the Natural Health Industry since 1980Professional Qualification: A lifetime of knowledge-seeking and experienceCurrent Position: Supplement Advisor

Kelly Simmons was born in Westlock, Alberta and moved to various small towns before moving to Grande Prairie in her early teens. After she married, Kelly moved to Edmonton and lived there for thirty years. She now lives in Grande Prairie with her daughter, grandson and cat. Kelly developed skills in critical thought, research and observation while she studied psychology in Edmonton. She also began to nurture a keen interest in alternative and holistic health at that time. Throughout her life, Kelly has had a strong desire to discover what lies beneath the surface of matters. As a result, she explores every healing modality that catches her attention and is intensely involved in spirituality and self-discovery. Kelly is especially passionate about what is happening to our planet, politically, geo-physically, environmentally and socially. Kelly also has a deep love of animals and compassion for human suffering. She wants healing to spread throughout the entire web of life.

Who is a valued teacher in your life?

Nearly everyone has been my teacher from multiple perspectives. My parents have been at the top of the list. They were the most loving, caring people. I have also learned so much from people from every walk of life and every age group, as well as animals and even fictional characters. It seems that most sentient beings have something valuable to offer, sometimes subtly and at other times in profound ways.

Tell us about your pet.

Thanks for asking! I have a rescue cat. He is a Maine Coon named Tucker. He has been a huge teacher in my life, mostly in the area of unconditional love, which I’m sure most pet owners can attest. After watching him and interacting with the little fellow for many months now, I have seen him move through nearly every emotion humans have. I appreciate his ability to love and forgive human foibles and start each day new. He doesn’t walk around with guilt, blame or shame as many of us do. Instead, he spends most of his time in the moment, which is also another great lesson we all need to learn.

I believe that in many ways, animals serve as our greatest teachers. Through their genuine nature and simplicity of intention, they are an example of what we still need to aspire to as humanity. We need them as much as they need us.

What are your thoughts on gratitude?

Where to begin?! In studying different cultures and countries, both in the present and throughout history, the suffering that people have endured and still do today is staggering. We have so little understanding of what our species collectively has experienced and is experiencing. We don’t realize how much we have to be grateful for here in the Western world compared to much of what is happening elsewhere.

There is a saying that we are all at some level connected, that if one soul is suffering somewhere on the planet, it affects all of us at some level, even though we are not consciously aware of it. Deep down I think there is truth in that. Most of us have an ingrained habit of complaining about what we don’t have, but when we look at what we do have, it’s quite an eye-opener.

We are habituated in inverting things and looking at negatives, which is enhanced by the fact that our language is more negatively based than positively based. It takes effort to break that habit, but as I take time to look at every part of my life on every level, I start to realize what it feels like to have real wealth. I’m not saying we should deny the harsh realities in our world by any means, but rather to notice the good as well and build on that. If ‘thoughts are things’ as many believe, then gratitude is certainly one of those things that need to be distributed, even if that is the only effort we can make to the whole.

Teach us something you are learning about right now.

Energy medicine and energy psychology, the whole concept of energy itself, have always been of great interest to me because at our basic core, that is what we are: energy, vibrating at various frequencies. I have looked at or studied many different energy healing modalities over the years and have learned that we innately have an amazing capacity to heal ourselves. This capacity goes far beyond the nuts and bolts of technology and scientific logic that our society has been immersed in for so long.

There is an extremely comprehensive system I am learning about right now, The Emotion Code. It deals with releasing trapped negative emotions that can lodge in almost any part of the body and that can exacerbate health problems. Emotions are simply energy, and when misdirected or improperly processed or released, they can set us up for emotional, physical, mental or even spiritual dis-ease. This system is set up to address virtually any problem because it goes into great depth in finding and correcting a wealth of energetic causes for symptoms rather than dealing only with symptoms themselves. In this way, it can get to the core of the issue, which in most cases has some kind of emotional component attached to it.

Since there is a dense physical aspect to our energetic systems, we need modern medical intervention for crisis situations and emergencies. However, there is far more to deep, pervasive healing than what medical and scientific logic can understand, let alone address in many cases. Still, I can’t help but wonder what progress could be made if there could be a compatible merger between both paradigms.

What led you to work at The Health Hut?

I’ve always had a passionate interest in holistic health and pretty much anything that comes under the banner of “alternative.” I have worked in this kind of business off and on for many years in Edmonton. Also, I think the first thing I ever tried was brewer’s yeast. While taking it, I noticed enough of a shift in energy that I was intrigued to explore more. Since then, I’ve seen significant improvements in my health through using these products and learning about nutrition and health in many different ways. I’m sure these were what exerted the gravitational pull to The Health Hut here in Grande Prairie.

As a Supplement Advisor, what area of natural health do you enjoy discussing with customers?

For some years, I took care of a family member with dementia. Knowing how quickly the statistics are increasing for those with this condition, I am interested in anything to do with cognitive function and the causes and prevention of dementia. I’m always on the alert for any new developments in this area.

What do you find most enjoyable about working at The Health Hut?

It’s a blend of the people and a love of the natural and alternative products that have proved beneficial in my life which has made the job enjoyable to me. The people I work with now and in the past, including management, are genuinely supportive, helpful and knowledgeable. They are willing to go that extra mile for the customers as well as each other. Over the years, compassion, common sense and caring have always won out.

I have always been impressed by our customer base as well. These are people who are impressive in their knowledge. In most cases, they are some of the most appreciative people I have ever come across.

Another aspect of working there that has been so encouraging is how many people have been helped by our products when nothing else conventional has worked. There have been too many amazing stories to count, and I have to include many of our customers in the role of my teachers as well.

Holistic health has been described as health for the whole body: the mind, body, emotion, spirit connection. How does holistic health show up in your life outside of work?

How doesn’t it show up might be a better question? I think it is deeply intertwined in nearly every aspect of my life. I have explored many aspects of alternative health over the years like Educational Kinesiology, Touch for Health, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Energy Medicine, Healing and Body Codes, Reflexology, Astrology, Reiki and Herbology.
I have also explored certain chiropractic methods and have attended many deeply spiritually oriented workshops and classes. I haven’t stopped learning and probably never will. And of course what we learn always finds its way into our daily lives to one degree or other as part of how we think, how we eat and in general look after ourselves. Holistic health principles are embedded in my life.

How has your understanding of health or dis-ease changed throughout your career?

There is no comparison from early beginnings to present time. Improvements within the whole alternative health arena have been quite remarkable with each passing year. Along with supplements and cleanses, plus nutritional and general health awareness, our understanding of how body and mind are connected has also grown.

Now we are living in a completely new and different world than that of a decade or two ago. We are now faced with new challenges, such as genetically modified foods, the effects of WiFi and cell phones on the body, and aerosols sprayed into our sky. These are all bringing in very different health challenges than what we have faced in the past.

The more educated we are about the changes happening in our air, food, water and soil, the more we can recognize the best paths to take for our health. Then we can be better prepared to keep our health at its highest possible premium.

What is a self-care practice you are doing or would like to start doing?

To make more time to sit still and be quiet, away from all the noise, distractions and electronics, and contemplate. A kind of meditation; to just be and listen to that very quiet voice inside that gets suppressed and ignored most of the time. I think of this as my true Spirit. It’s that limitless, incorruptible part of who I am. It is that wellspring, I believe, where most of our real wisdom, creativity and answers come from (not from outside of us). I think the only way we can know who we are, what we believe, and what we stand for and why is to take the time to go inside and find it.